The riddle of…

28 March 2008

Cairo, Egypt

In a way I would have preferred not to have gone to see the Pyramids yesterday. I’ve never been to Alexandria but I have been to Cairo and I’ve already had my opportunity to see and touch the pyramids, stare into the face of the sphinx and to walk the halls of the Egyptian Museum. But I don’t get an opportunity to choose which tours I escort, I can only put my name down as available and then wait and see what I get. Of the five tours on offer yesterday two were short tasters of Alexandria and three were full on tours to Cairo and all the sights. I got a tour that took in the Museum, Pyramids, Sphinx and included lunch in a former royal palace. Not bad and certainly nothing to complain about but as we returned by bus through the night time streets of Alexandria and I saw the life and the energy of the people I wondered if I might not have preferred to have been out there among them with the opportunity to explore a city with a history all its own.

But, suffering as it may have been, I was off to see some of the wonders of the world in one of the most amazing cities in the world. It’s a tough life but someone has to do it.

It was an early start, just a very few hours after I went to sleep as it turned out, because we had another drive through the desert to get to Cairo. Going down the gangway with my official tour escort pack on my back and a lunch box provided by the ship clutched firmly in my hand I was surprised at just how cool the temperature was. It was still dark and while it was not cold enough to make me regret only have a t-shirt it was a coolness I’ve certainly never felt in Egypt before and brought home the fact that we were now in the Mediterranean and only a stone’s throw from Europe. The sky was clear, the temperature was pleasant and you could just tell that it was going to be a good day.

The drive through Alexandria was interesting and because of the early hour it was fast. We left the port and drove along the waterfront giving me the opportunity to see the famous harbour that has seen everyone from Caesar to Napoleon.

We also drove past the new Library of Alexandria, a building in the modern architectural style that requires explanations before it stops being a collection of odds shapes and angles and you can actually appreciate what sort of statement the architect was trying to make. You can add Alexandria to my ever growing list of places to come back to just for the opportunity to explore this building.

The city itself has a strangely European look to it, at least along the harbour. The buildings wouldn’t look out of place around many European town squares and if you could take away the Arabic signs and wash the dust from the facades it could be the other side of the Mediterranean.

Through the city and past the oil refineries, the salt marshes and the large construction sites for housing developments advertising how exceptionally green (not environmentally but literally) and family friendly they will be in the future and we were back into the desert. Our guide explained that there had been a program that offered free land along the Alexandria – Cairo road to anyone willing to farm it and produce crops. If they failed to produce after three years then the government would take it back. Obviously many took up the offer and are having some success making a living from what looks to be a very inhospitable place to farmers. It all just brings back into focus what a vital part of Egyptian life the Nile has been both in the past and in the present.

Three hours later and we entered the outskirts of Cairo, one of the most amazing cities on earth and one of my favourites. There is such vibrancy to this place that it has to be felt to be appreciated. Even the gridlocked traffic we quickly got caught up in had a fervour, with jockeying cars and honking horns mixing with scenes of agriculture on one side of the road and densely packed buildings holding millions of people on the other. The highway snakes around and between the buildings on huge bridges, overpasses and off ramps that bring you from eye level with the upper floors to the depths of canyons between the high-rises. And there is traffic everywhere. It is a city that should be famous for the beauty of its street art. All those white lines painted on the road, fancy give way signs and red and green lights are to be admired for their aesthetic charm only because they sure as hell have no practical function. If you’ve grown tired of the rides in theme parks then jump in a Cairo taxi with a driver in a hurry to get you somewhere and you will learn the true meaning of the word thrill. Mark it down as one of the great must dos of life.

We arrived at the museum thanks to the heroic manoeuvrings of our driver and joined the masses of other tourists. Gathering together in the courtyard in front of the building I had a couple of passengers tell me that they were glad that I was so tall and that it would make it easier for them to see the numbered sign I was carrying. Looking around at the milling people getting last minute instructions from their own guides I wondered if I should point out that following my sign may not be the best move if I got lost and had no idea where I was going myself. The last time I visited the Museum it was not anywhere near as crowded as this and I had spent the entire day wandering from room to room at my leisure. Once we got inside it was clear that we wouldn’t have any hope of doing that.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a fantastic building. Not so much for any great architectural features or real beauty in itself but just for the contents. This is the real stuff and it fills every available space in a way that seems haphazard at first but is actually arranged in such a way that you are able to follow a chronological tour of Egyptian history. Unfortunately we only had limited time and we could only follow our guide to a couple of significant displays.

Pressing through the crowds with a bewildering array of flags and signs being held aloft and various guides struggling to make themselves heard above the other groups around them in an equally bewildering array of different languages made it feel like a session of the UN. We made it to the most famous section of the museum and everyone had the opportunity to join the scrum of people clustered around the golden mask and coffins of Tutankhamen. It’s a clichéd image for sure but it is not to be missed and certainly makes you wonder at the treasures that have been lost over the centuries. I seem to remember reading somewhere that gold is recycled so often that jewellery you buy now may contain portions that have been in items passed down for hundreds of years, so maybe the ring I’m wearing now has some tiny connection to a long lost Pharaohonic horde.

After the museum we made our obligatory jewellery store stop but I didn’t bother going inside. Instead I stood on the footpath outside and took photos of the pyramids. That is a really easy sentence to type but the enormity of the situation lifts it to another level. I could look one way and see a city street with its shops and pedestrians and then turn and look up at the pyramids. There were cars whizzing past, a wall with a few trees poking up above it and then, towering over it all, was a pyramid. It was just there as if it was any other city building. Mind blowing.

A little further along the road and we had our lunch stop. Our guide explained that the hotel was formally a royal palace and the size of the rooms and the appointments made that clear. The luxuriousness of the surroundings and the fact that it literally stood in the shadows of the pyramids meant that I was sure I would never be able to afford to stay there so I just enjoyed the lavish buffet that had been provided, sat and chatted with the guides while the passengers ate and wondered at those who have the resources to indulge their travel desires.

From the hotel we drove across the road, past the pyramids and stopped at a lookout above that gave a panoramic view of all three. This is the iconic view and is also a hot spot for vendors of triangular souvenirs and camel rides. I don’t know how many photos I took from this place but it was a lot. I doubt that there is any view from this point that hasn’t been captured a million times before and I seriously doubt that any photo of mine is in any way unique, apart from the one with me in it, but it didn’t stop me from snapping off dozens of shots. There is a photo safely tucked away in my electronic memory of me standing in front of the pyramids and I guess that is pretty unique in its own way.

From the lookout view we drove to a parking spot at the base of the pyramids and had a short time to walk around, take photos looking up at them and to actually touch them physically. From a photography point of view it was nearly impossible to get shots that didn’t have tour buses or foreign tourists in them so I spent most of my time clambering around and trying to view them from strange angles that would give me that one in a billion shot that would stand out from everyone else’s. I don’t know in the end if I could call them unique but there are a couple that I’m happy with.

From the pyramids we moved down to the Sphinx and had to battle our way through a horde of vendors to get to the rock platform that runs along one side and gives you a view of the entire edifice at a height slightly below the shoulder. You can’t touch the sphinx but you can get close enough to throw rocks at it if you are so inclined.

The first thing that strikes you is that it is small. But then small is a relative thing and on its own it is impressive but after standing under the pyramids and after having visited the enormous temples of Luxor it can disappoint if you are expecting more. The iconic shot of the sphinx with the pyramids behind is a perfect example of forced perspective and does give a slightly unrealistic expectation of the size. Of course I was careful to get the exact same shot because it is so iconic and shows both edifices off to their best. Sometimes you just have to go with the classics.

Up until the Sphinx I had stood by a mental promise I had made to myself not to buy any souvenirs in Egypt. I already have a house full after the last time here and luggage space is already becoming an issue with a lot more of this journey still to go. So much for promises because I caved and bought a couple of things. They’re nice, I swear, it’s just that I probably don’t need them, the photos would have served as reminder enough.

This was when I remembered a promise I had made to a girl who works in the casino. I’d said that I would find a one pound Egyptian coin for her. I’m not sure exactly what she wanted it for but she was very specific that it had to be a one pound coin and that I would probably have to go to a bank to find one. At this point time was running short to find a bank so I started asking the vendors crowded around me if they had one. Lots of US cash was flashed at me but none of them seemed to be carrying Egyptian money. I pulled out a one dollar note and said I was willing to swap it for a pound coin, a 500% profit for them and eventually I had a nearby policeman come running up with the coin in his hand. He swapped it for the dollar with much satisfaction but also much noisy disappointment from the rest of the crowd.

From here it was just a matter of gathering everyone up, getting them on the bus and driving back through the desert to Alexandria and the ship. I managed to get back to my cabin 15 minutes before I was supposed to start work, not much time for anything other than the extreme basics of cleanliness but luckily I work in a cage on my own so I doubt anyone noticed too much.

Next up is Turkey and my first taste of Europe, another continent to tick off the list.